Inmate captured after escaping for 3rd time in a year

An inmate who escaped from custody in Bedford County twice last year is now back in custody.

According to the sheriff’s office, Andrew Phillip Marshall escaped from the Bedford County Jail early Thursday morning.

Officials announced Friday night that Marshall was back in custody.

Marshall is one of three inmates who escaped from the Bedford County Workhouse back in September. According to the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, the three inmates were supposed to be temporarily staying at the workhouse while repairs were being made to the jail.

In October, Marshall escaped with two other men from the Bedford County Jail. The three inmates got out by crawling through an air vent and then dropping a bed sheet down the building so they could climb down to the ground.

At the time of his first escape, Marshall was serving a sentence for evading arrest.

Bedford County Sheriff Austin Swing said Marshall has escaped a total of five times over the years.

“It’s very frustrating, and it’s frustrating sometimes that employees don’t do what they’re supposed to do,” Swing said.

Swing said Marshall wasn’t shackled when he took a shower at the jail this morning, though he’s supposed to be shackled when out of his cell. He said a new jail employee stepped outside, but the door didn’t shut all the way. Swing said Marshall escaped out that door and with two guards chasing him, he disappeared down South Brittain Street.

“I checked all the windows and doors this morning,” said Jessica Moore, a resident of South Brittain Street. “I’ve been thinking about it all day. When I heard a knock on the door, I wondered if I should answer it because it scares me that he’s running loose again. I think it’s crazy that they haven’t done more, especially with the ones who continue to break out.”

“It’s just human error,” Swing said. “You’d think common sense would take over. You don’t leave a door open in the jail or a door unlocked in the jail.”

Swing said Marshall only has misdemeanor charges, and he was last seen in the Flat Creek part of the county. He said Marshall was scheduled to be out of jail early next year but the escape could put at least another year on his stay.

Swing added part of the issue with the escapes is the overcrowding in an outdated jail and being understaffed by five employees at the main building. He said a new jail could start construction in the next few months.

“We will have to deal with our employees and hopefully get them on track so we don’t make these mistakes again,” he said.